Atonement
by Miss Lizzy Bennet
Summary: Her work is more important than anything in her life... Her girlfriend remains forgotten... When she comes to her senses, will she be able to apologize before it's too late? Chrave Oneshot


**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**A/N: **Hey, guys! So, I'm back with a new Christmas fic which I really hope you'll enjoy!

Have a good reading!

**Atonement**

For a group of people, Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends. All the worries are forgotten, and there's only place for happiness and love. But for another group, Christmas s just another ordinary day, in which you can carry on with all your functions normally. Raven Baxter and Chelsea Daniels did not belong to the same group.

The couple had already been in that road before. They have been together for five years, and those five years had resulted five equal discussions.

Raven was sitting on her office, holding her phone on one hand and attempting to draw with the other. Unfortunately, she wasn't being very successful. The conversation she was having with her girlfriend wasn't sweet at all.

"Chels, I can't go home. I've got a lot of work to do here. You know that this place without me is a mess." Raven said. She heard Chelsea sigh.

"_But Rae, it's Christmas Eve. I don't want to spend it without you__ again, please come home."_ The redhead pleaded. The tone of her voice was so melting that Raven almost felt hopeless and without defenses.

"Chelsea…" She tried to say but her girlfriend cut her off.

"_What happened to you? You're not t__he person you used to be."_ Raven tried to reply but Chelsea didn't give her the chance. _"All you think about is your work, you barely see me. I miss you."_ Raven heard Chelsea's voice crack with emotion. The caramel skinned girl sighed.

"I know you do. But you need to understand me. It's my work, it's my stuff…"

"_Oh, really?"_ Chelsea cut her off once again. _"I know it's your work and I respect that. I, more than anybody else, want to see you as the world's famous designer. I just think that you don't need to push me and your family away, that's all."_

"I'm not pushing you away, I just…"

"_Just what, Rae? Huh?"_ Chelsea said. Raven knew that she was getting annoyed and it was not a good sign_. "Answer me, how many designers are going to stay with you in the office? Two? Three?"_

"One." Raven said in a small voice. Chelsea laughed bitterly.

"_One. Just one. Now tell me, how many designers work there?"_

"Thirty, with me. Listen Chels, I don't know what it has to do with our discussion!" Raven said irritated.

"_Raven, can't you see?!"_ Chelsea exclaimed exasperated. _"It has everything to do with our discussion! You work with twenty-nine designers, and only you and another fellow of yours are gonna stay and work! I bet that the others are with families, boyfriends and girlfriends right now, and you… Sincerely, I thought that your selfish days were over. "_

"Chels, I promise you that I'll do my best to be at home tomorrow …"

"_No, Rae. Save it, please."_ Chelsea said in a tired voice. _"You know what? Don't mind me. Just do what you have to do, I'm used to this."_

"Chelsea…"

"_I'll see you tomorrow, I hope. Until then, Marry Christmas, Raven."_

"Chelsea…" But her attempts were useless. Chelsea had hung up the phone. Raven sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Man, why can't she understand…" She whispered to herself. Shaking her head, she did her best to concentrate on her work. The clock marked 11 PM…

Midnight… Her project was almost ready. It only needed some more details… Somehow the picture of Chelsea caught Raven's eyes. The designer sighed. _"She must be asleep now… Well, I'm sure she will understand… She always does…"_

1 AM… The details were horrible; she needed to do it again… Hopefully, it wouldn't take too long…

2 AM… Her fellow had gone home, she was alone now. Her design was almost ready, almost ready…

3 AM… She was going to make it… To the hell with her tiredness… She would finish it and she would go home… She would go home…

4 AM… Her eyes were dropping. It was like an invisible hand was forcing them to close. "Maybe I should… Just close… Them… A bit…" Raven mumbled before drifting off.

She was in the great land of dreams. There was no concern, no frustration, and no tiredness. There was just her, a nasty smoke and…

"Grandma Viv?" Raven asked narrowing her eyes to see through the smoke. The tall and slender figure walked to the spot where she was. She didn't dare to move, and besides, her feet seemed to be glued on the ground.

"Call me Grandma one more time…" Said Viv dangerously as she stood in the front of Raven. "And I swear that you'll regret it, sweetie." Raven smiled.

"Viv! It's good to see you!" She said happily hugging Viv. "But wait! What are you doing in my dream?" Viv laughed.

"Well, it's your dream, you tell me." Raven lifted a brow.

"But…"

"Oh, shush now, sweetie. I doesn't matter what I'm doing here. It matters, why I'm here for."

"And may I know the reason, please?" Raven asked confused.

"I'm here to make you come to your senses. You seemed to have lost them." Raven sighed.

"Oh, man, you too…" She said annoyed.

"Hey, don't use that tone with me, young lady. You might be twenty-five, but you still can receive some good slaps in your booty by 'grandma' here." Raven grinned.

"Gosh, even in my dreams you're a figure, Viv." The older woman smiled.

"I know I am. Thank you for the compliment. But… Child, I'm very disappointed with you. You're not the same Raven you used to be, you know?"

"You sound like Chelsea…" Raven murmured.

"Well, I guess we both have a point, then. Raven, I understand that you want to be a famous designer. It's your dream since you were a little kid, and I'm not trying to persuade to think otherwise." Viv said gently. "I just think that you don't need to forget about the ones who care about you."

"I don't forget them!" Raven tried to defend herself. Viv laughed.

"Really? I don't think so, honey. The last time you called your parents and me, was one month ago. You don't even bother to send us e-mails."

"But…"

"I'm not finished yet, young lady." Viv said with authority. "We try to understand you. We know that you're a grown woman that can take care of herself. But don't think that our position isn't painful." Raven looked at her shoes, suddenly feeling ashamed of herself.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I should have probably called you more. Just to know how you were doing."

"That's right, sweetie." Viv said. "But it's not only us that you've been forgetting about. There's your friend Eddie, who misses his old friend…" Raven's heart began to race, she knew who would come next. "And of course that there is Chelsea."

"My girlfriend…" Raven said. It seemed so long since she had used this word that she had forgotten how good it felt to pronounce it. Her girlfriend, her Chelsea, her lovely redhead.

"Yes, silly, your girlfriend. The girlfriend that you have been forgetting and even ignoring."

"No! I'm not ignoring her!" Raven exclaimed.

"Oh, you are. Please child, don't fool yourself. You care more about your work than her. She makes everything that's on her will to make you happy and you don't seem to notice it. You don't even notice that she cries herself to sleep because of you." Raven felt her heart break in a million of pieces.

"She… She does?" Raven asked and Viv nodded solemnly. "How do you now that?" Viv placed her hands on her waist.

"Child, you're not the only one who is psychic."

"Oh, right." Guilt was approaching Raven. "Man, how could I be so stupid…"

"Yes."

"Hey! You didn't need to agree!" Raven said. Viv only smiled.

"Viv, I want to fix it, I want to be my old self again before… it's too… late…" Raven said those last words slowly as she felt a pain in her heart. What if it was already too late? What if she had lost her? "Oh, snap." Viv sensed what was passing through her granddaughter's head and gently rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Sweetie, it's never too late if there's true love in your heart. I know that you love her too much, so all you have to do is fight for her." She said smiling. "She is a very sweet girl, she will forgive you."

"You think so?" Raven asked in a childish voice. Viv laughed.

"I know so. Now go, go before I pass out with this nasty smoke. Why did you put this in your dream, anyway?"

"I don't know. And I don't understand why you're in my dream either, I mean, you could have just called and… Viv? Are you crying?" Raven said laughing. Viv quickly wiped her tears away

"Of course not! Why would I do that? You know that I don't like those lovey dovey romances… Now, go!"

"Ok! Thank you so much, grand… Viv." Raven said hugging her grandmother and running away, not even stopping to hear Viv's yells about the grandmother thing. As she kept running, the scenario was becoming blurry, and the only thing she could see was a light that was becoming even closer…

And then she woke up. She looked around lazily. Her dream was still fresh in her memory, and the weirdness of it made her mind spin a little.

"Man, that was a heck of a dream." She said. She looked at the window. It was morning already. With a glance at the clock, she saw that it was 9 AM.

"I must go home, Chelsea is waiting for me." She said. With that she grabbed her keys, turned the lights off and left the office.

Her journey home was fast. She didn't care if she was exceeding the regular speed of the road, all she wanted was to get home and find Chelsea.

"My Chelsea." She said smiling.

When she got to the apartment, the first thing she noticed was its emptiness. Usually when she got home, Chelsea would greet her happily with a warm hug and a kiss. This time, her body remained cold and her lips didn't feel the softness and sweetness of Chelsea's. Her heart began to beat a little faster.

"Chelsea?" She called out. Silence. Raven made her way to the dinner room. Empty. But the decoration of the room caught Raven's attention.

"Chels…" She whispered.

In the middle of the room, there was a table carefully placed for two. There were candles and flowers on it. Knowing Chelsea the way she did, Raven was sure that the food was on the fridge, just waiting to be eaten. She smiled as a warm feeling hit her heart. Chelsea was the sweetest thing on earth. But then the feeling of guilt came back again. Chelsea had placed that table the day before. Raven was sure that the girl had hoped that Raven would come home to stay with her.

"I'm so stupid… What did I do to deserve her…" She said to herself. As she said it, her eyes caught a gift placed in the middle of the table. Upon it, there was a note. Carefully she caught it and opened. She smiled as she saw a beautiful portrait which contained a picture of herself and Chelsea.

"It's the picture of our first date." She said running her finger over Chelsea's face. "She is so beautiful… She is gorgeous…" Placing the portrait on the table, she caught the note and recognized Chelsea's nice handwriting. She took a deep breath and began to read.

_Dear Raven,_

_Pictures are not only pieces of paper that contains ordinary figures. They are, in fact, the representation of joy, love, hope and good memories. And this picture is a good memory, isn't it? I'll never forget our first date and I hope that you won't either. _

_I loved each moment that we spent together. They'll be carefully placed in my heart forever._

_I want you to know that I love you so much. _

_Marry Christmas__._

_Always yours, _

_Chelsea_

Tears were running down Raven's face. She kissed the letter heart fully. She read the letter again… And again… And again, until she knew the sentences by heart.

_I love you so much…_

_I__'ll never forget our first date…_

_I loved each moment that we spent together… I loved each moment __that we spent together…_

"I loved each moment that we spent together." Raven said out loud. It was then that the realization hit her. She was too late. Chelsea had gone way. And she couldn't blame her for it. She hugged the little piece of paper as if it was a part of Chelsea. And somehow it was. Raven could feel the redhead's sweet perfume on it.

"I lost her, I lost her…" She said. She didn't even bother to wipe her tears away. "How could I be so idiot?" She said.

"I lost her, oh God, I lost her…"

"Who did you lose, Rae?" Asked a soft voice with curiosity behind her.

"I lost Chelsea. And I think it's forever." Raven whispered still with her back to her companion.

"Now, why in the world do you think that you've lost me?" Chelsea Daniels asked her girlfriend with a hint of amusement on her tone.

"Because…" Cling! It was if the light over Raven's head had suddenly tuned on. She turned around quickly and widened her eyes in surprise. "C-Chels?"

"Well, I think so." The redhead said. "Last time I checked, it was still my name. Rae, what's-" But she couldn't finish her sentence. Raven had hugged her so tightly that all her coherent thoughts were lost.

"Chelsea! You're here! Thank you for not leaving! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Raven exclaimed happily

"Raven-" This time Raven cut her off with a breathtaking kiss. At first, Chelsea was frozen, with no idea of what to do. But then as she felt all the love and passion that Raven was putting on the kiss, she relaxed and kissed her back with the same intensity. Raven's hands were roaming everywhere; she was grabbing every inch of Chelsea that she could reach. And Chelsea? Chelsea couldn't be happier even if she tried. The only thing that made them broke apart, was the lack of oxygen.

"I love you, Chels." Raven said. Chelsea smiled.

"Say it again." Raven smiled and gave her a small kiss.

"I love you." Peck. "I Love you." Peck. "I." Peck. "Love." Peck. "You." This time, the kiss was longer, warmer and lighter, just like a summer breeze.

"It's so good to hear it again." Chelsea said.

"I'm sorry, Chels. I'm really sorry. I don't know what happened to me, I was a fool."

"Yes, you were." Chelsea said with a grin.

"I thought I had lost you. I thought that you had left." Chelsea looked down at her shoes.

"I considered this possibility. But… In the last minute, I decided to give you a second chance. I thought that maybe you would come to your senses. And it's Christmas after all." Raven smiled.

"Yeah. Well, Christmas really does miracles, doesn't it?"

"It surely does." Chelsea said smiling. "Hey, what about the present? Did you like it?" The redhead asked anxiously.

"I loved it." Raven said. "I'm sorry, Chels, I forgot your present in the office." Raven said apologetically.

"No you didn't." Chelsea assured her.

"What? I did, Chels, I'm sorry…"

"My present is right here, hugging me." Chelsea said sweetly. Raven's heart melted.

"Aw, Chels…"

"There's just one problem with it…"

"What is it?" Raven asked a little worried.

"It's still wrapped up. I need to un-wrap it." She said with a malicious smile. Raven grinned.

"Well, why don't you go ahead and 'un-wrap' it?"

"From your mouth to my ears." Chelsea said kissing Raven's lips. "Oh, and just in case I haven't told you yet, I love you."

"I love you too." Raven said lovingly. "Just don't think that you'll be the only one to un-wrap your 'present' though. 'Cause… Momma likes what she is seeing." Chelsea laughed.

"I know that our room is waiting but… What about those people?" Chelsea asked.

"What people? The readers?" Chelsea nodded. "Well, we'll have to leave our action to their imagination."

"Oh, good idea!" Chelsea said smiling. "Sorry, guys! But I'm too shy and Raven is too naught during our…"

"Hey!" Raven said slapping her girlfriend. "Look who is talking! Your screams wake up even the dead!" Chelsea rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Marry Christmas, guys!"

"Yeah, Marry Christmas!" Raven said. "I'm gonna close the door and the curtains…" And then there's semi-darkness and a second of silence which is broken by the sounds of smacks.

"And Chelsea, you're mine."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Rae."

**The End**

**A/N2: **So, this is it! I really hope you liked it! Oh, and just for the record, I'm gonna update "No Escape For You" in a couple of days. The chapter 2 is ready, I just gotta check some things. And now… Do you want to know what I asked Santa Claus for Christmas? Reviews! So please, make a girl happy!

Marry Christmas, guys!


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